"I'm back from the store, Dr. Crane!"
Instead of helping her with the bags she was carrying, Frasier simply ushered Daphne inside.
"Yes, thank you, Daphne. Now just set those around the kitchen. And hurry, please!"
She scowled at him in annoyance but said nothing. It wouldn't do any good anyway. The man was infuriating, not to mention a complete fussbudget! Her
annoyance grew as she carried the heavy plastic bags into the kitchen and sat them on the counter. Her arms ached and she wanted so desperately to rest just
for a moment but Frasier would have none of it.
"Bloody hell…" She muttered under her breath. And she'd barely gotten a second to herself when he returned.
"Well, come on, Daphne. Get to it! You know how serious this situation is!"
"Dr. Crane, really, it's not that bad! They're completely harmless little things! And didn't you tell me that both Lilith and your mother-."
"Yes, Daphne I'm well aware of the things that my mother and my ex-wife did, but I do not want those things in my home!"
She bit her lip to keep from laughing at his absurd comment. But she couldn't help herself. "I hope you're not talking about Lilith and Mrs. Crane!"
As she expected, Frasier didn't find her attempt at humor the least bit funny. But she had a feeling that his father would have found it hilarious, even though she
was poking fun at his beloved wife. She could tell that Frasier had not gotten his sense of humor from his father. She only hoped that his mother had at least
some fun during her much too short life.
"Daphne, we don't have all day, now open those packages and set them around the kitchen; one in each corner. Oh and pay special attention to the refrigerator.
I don't want them anywhere near that thing!"
"Oh don't be such a baby, Dr. Crane! They're harmless!"
"Right, you mentioned that. And I'm telling you-."
"I know, I know! You don't want them in your house! Well, I can see that, I suppose. This place isn't very big and-."
"Daphne, can I ask you a question?"
She turned to him in surprise. "Yes, of course."
"Do you like working here?"
The question made her smile. "I do. I love working here, actually. Why do you ask?"
"BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T OPEN THOSE PACKAGES AND DO AS I TELL YOU, YOU'LL BE OUT ON THE STREETS! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"
She flinched at his outburst and suddenly felt very small inside. "I was only trying to-."
"Well, stop trying and do something!"
His father appeared in the doorway. "What in the hell is going on in here?"
"Nothing, Dad. Never mind." Frasier mumbled.
"Didn't sound like nothing. What in the hell are you yelling about? You made me miss Roger's comments about the game!"
"But Dad, come on, you don't even like Green Bay!"
"I know that, Wise Guy! But I still… Hey… How did you know that I was talking about Aaron Rogers? And that he plays for Green Bay?"
"I have no idea. Bulldog's show must have rubbed off on me."
This made Martin smile. "Well, it's about time. Now pipe down will ya? Maybe I can find it again on another station!"
"You do that, Dad!" Frasier said. And then he turned to Daphne. "And as for you-."
"Yes?"
"Daphne will you please put these in the proper places? I want this over and done with."
"Well, when you ask that way, I'd be happy to!"
Finally, Frasier smiled. "All right. I'll be back in a few minutes. Let me know if you need any help."
When he was gone, Daphne set to work, carefully opening each package and following the instructions to the letter. She sat one object in various corners of the
kitchen spacing them apart at the suggested distance.
Now there was nothing to do but wait… and hope.
Minutes later, Frasier returned. "So…"
"Well, I did as you asked." She announced proudly.
"Good. Thank you, Daphne. I hope this does the trick. I-."
They watched in horror as the brown mouse scampered across the kitchen floor. It was followed by another, and then another.
"DEAR GOD!" Frasier shouted. "We're going to need more mousetraps!"
"Or a cat." Daphne suggested. "Oh Dr. Crane wouldn't it be wonderful to have a cat? They're so sweet and I really don't think that Eddie would be bothered by
it. Why just the other day, I was over at me girlfriend Cheryl's house and she has a Doberman Pincher and the sweetest black cat you've ever seen! You should
watch them play together! Oh, it was absolutely adorable! And I started thinking that maybe we should get a cat, because-."
She watched in confusion as Frasier grabbed his keys from the counter and stormed out of the kitchen.
"Dr. Crane, where are you going?"
"Out!" He shouted.
"Out where?"
Frasier paused in the foyer and turned to his father and Daphne. "To buy more mousetraps!"
